Might Bite and Nico de Boinville, shown winning the King George, will resume their rivalry with Thistlecrack and Tom Scudamore.
Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Thursday’s best bets, by Chris Cook

When you’re a jump jockey with the chance to ride a Gold Cup horse, you get healthy. And so it is with Nico de Boinville, who has this morning been pronounced fit to ride Might Bite in a classic edition of the Betfair Chase on Saturday, having recovered from the thumb injury which has kept him out for the last three weeks.

Some may have thought De Boinville was a sure thing to miss the race when, earlier this week, Noel Fehily was booked by connections as a standby for Might Bite. But the prospect of another rider getting on one of his best horses surely redoubled De Boinville’s determination to be at Haydock in a working capacity. There isn’t an analgesic on the market to match the lure of a good ride for a jump jockey.

Tom Scudamore fit and on course to ride Thistlecrack in Betfair Chase

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Following Wednesday’s good news about Tom Scudamore, now fit to partner Thistlecrack, this means Saturday’s contest will have a full complement of regular jockeys. There are plenty of fine riders in the jumps weighing room and Lord knows Fehily is one of them. But a race like this Betfair Chase should feature horses and jockeys who know each other well and should, ideally, not lead to speculation about whether the winning jock may keep the ride at the expense of he who went before.

Speaking of Scudamores, which I’ve been doing plenty of lately, today’s nap comes from the Lucinda Russell / Peter Scudamore yard near Milnathort and is presumably now making the long journey to Market Rasen. Ryalex (2.35) attracted some attention when he scored at Carlisle last week for having only one ear, which, I should stress, is the same number of lugs that he had when he arrived at that stable three years ago.

I should think the ease of his victory that day should have attracted at least as much attention. He was so far clear at the second-last that the jockey, I’m told, was briefly convinced he had gone for home a circuit early.

Stephen Mulqueen is back in the saddle today and I hope he may have a similar experience. There’s no question that Ryalex is well handicapped with a 7lb penalty (8lb well in, officially) and he’s 9-4, which is a lot bigger than most horses in such a situation.

That’s because of the presence of Love The Leader but he raced just three days ago, is a full stone higher than when his winning run began and his jumping is not necessarily to be relied upon under pressure. Ryalex, who has apparently improved for the removal of a hood, is preferred.

Earlier, Earlshill (2.00) appeals at 7-2 in the novice handicap chase. He has a ‘P’ next to his name for his chasing debut at Huntingdon last month but that’s misleading. He was travelling nicely on the heels of the leaders when he slipped and was immediately pulled up at the bend out of the back straight. But for that, he might be unbeaten in three since joining Stuart Edmunds.

There’s an interesting situation at Wincanton, where Harry Cobden rides Capeland, who has sometimes been a bit disappointing but scored under Bryony Frost last time. Can Cobden work the same magic or is he just a changed horse?

Taking into account that this step back in trip is not certain to suit, I’d rather have 9-4 about Peppay Le Pugh (1.45) for this three-runner contest. Dan Skelton’s horse has been busy and consistent this autumn and was in better company when beaten the last twice.

At Newcastle, you can get 5-1 about Moonraker (4.35), who has had a good year for a new yard but remains well handicapped and has been placed in both previous starts here.